Zips Lose Third in a Row, Fall to South Carolina (Again)

The road woes continued for an Akron squad that just cannot put things together in the second half.

South Carolina outscored Akron by 27 in the second half and bested the Zips again just days after beating them in Hawaii. There really aren't any positives to take away for Akron, this was just an outright demolition.

Probably the most glaring statistic for Akron was the 21 turnovers. You're not going to win any game with that many turnovers. Quincy Diggs and Demetrius Treadwell were the main culprits, with seven and five turnovers each, respectively. When you combine this with the sixteen turnovers the Zips committed last time out against the Gamecocks, this is a major problem that needs to be fixed by conference play.

Shooting was another problem as the Zips only hit thirteen shots the whole game. They were only 4-16 from three point land, which is Akron's strength. Free throws continue to be a problem, as they only shot 64% (15-23).

The Zips are clearly road-weary and need to get back to Akron. They play a lot better at home and are not used to playing such a weird schedule. Still, there is no excuse to lose to one of the bottom teams in the SEC by a combined 43 points. That's really unacceptable and could cause Akron to break it's streak of 22-win seasons. The Zips haven't lost three games in a row in two years, so this will be a new experience for most of the players.

Luckily, Akron gets lowly Coppin State on New Year's Eve at home followed by another home game against Marshall. If the Zips struggle in those two games, it'll be tough to repeat as MAC Champions this season.